Indifference as Disease

Indifference as Disease: If something is not right in your life, and it affects you, your family, your community or your work group, get involved! At the cost of being different, stop being indifferent.

Find the courage to ask what you really want and express yourself freely. Be at peace with the words that come from your heart. If others take your words personally, they probably recognize an aspect of themselves—some part of themselves that they haven't accepted. You have nothing to do to make them swallow anything. However, if this happens to you, a good question to ask yourself is: What am I reacting to in the other person that I haven't accepted in myself?

Speech is golden when it is weighed carefully, clear and true. By communicating clearly, you can avoid much drama and depression in your life. The truth is sometimes painful to hear, but it is necessary to awaken one another and evolve within our family and society. The human organism ceases to evolve and begins to decline after reaching maturity. Why do we remain on Earth so long after? Because our consciousness never ceases to unfold and grow. Think of people you have known who have overcome a crisis. How did that crisis help them grow, regardless of their age? Quebecers who still unconsciously believe they were 'born for little' and who 'mind their own business,' encourage abuse and dishonesty. It is another mask for taking it easy, being politically correct, maintaining an appearance of strength that actually hides great internal weakness in water energy (governed by the Kidneys).

It is this springtime energy of the Wood element (肝木) that led me to write a response to an article published this past winter, describing acupuncture from a decidedly reductionist angle...

It is fundamentally true that no one can heal anyone. Regardless of the care provided, whether in a medical or medicinal context, healing is an internal process that always arises from the patient's attitude. So whether it is a pill, a granule, a chemotherapy injection, an acupuncture needle, or a charlatan's salve, the person responsible for healing is always the patient. This is why two twins with identical pathologies will respond differently to the same treatment. The usual discourse on healing, whether it falls within a conventional or traditional medical context, removes responsibility from the patient and renders them vulnerable to the treatments proposed. More on the healing phenomenon here...

One sometimes proposes a dichotomy between conventional medicine called objective and traditional medicine called subjective. Yet, palpation of the abdominal reflexes allows real-time appreciation of the results of an acupuncture treatment, according to the criteria of evidence-based medicine, which aims to apply a scientific method to clinical decision-making. Therefore, the steps leading to the clinical decisions of the acupuncturist who uses abdominal reflexes are very similar to the steps applied in conventional medicine, despite the differences in the treatments proposed in the two distinct practices.

Since the letter that all acupuncturists received during the media frenzy of the H1N1 flu, we all know within the profession that legally, an acupuncturist cannot recommend to a patient not to be vaccinated, even following the clinical decisions made in light of the patient's energetic state. This is by virtue of the law that prohibits a health professional from challenging the acts or words of another health professional, or from discouraging a patient from following medical treatment. But must the acupuncturist lie when a patient asks him if his children have been vaccinated? As an acupuncturist, I will not oppose anything, but I will not lie to anyone either.

Olivier Roy, Acupuncturist, Clinique Shanti, Montréal.

English version of the above article translated by Bruce Cawdron, Acupuncturist.

You can learn more on Bruce and his work here

If something seems 'off' in your life, and it's affecting you, your family, your community or your workplace, sort it out! At the cost of being yourself, stop being indifferent.

Find the courage to ask what you would really like and express yourself freely. Be at peace with the words that come from your heart. If others take your words personally, they probably recognize an aspect of themselves - some part of themselves that they haven't accepted. It's not your job to digest this for them either. But if this happens to you, a good question to ask yourself is : what am I reacting to that I haven't accepted in myself?

Communication is gold, when it's done with care, and is clear and true. When communicating clearly, one can avoid a lot of drama and depression in life. The truth is sometimes painful to hear, but is a necessary part of our evolution within family and society. The human organism ceases to evolve after attaining maturity. If that is so, why do we remain for so long after having grown up? It's because our conscience and spirit never ceases to grow. Think of people you've known who have overcome a crisis. How has the crisis helped them to grow without regard to age? Quebecers who believe subconsciously that they're 'born to nothing' and who 'just mind their own business' encourage corruption and dishonesty. It's just another mask to remain bland, politically correct, keep up appearances – all of which hide a great weakness in water energy, governed by the Kidneys.

It's with the springtime energy of the Wood element that leads me to respond to an article I read this past winter, describing acupuncture from a reductionist angle...

It's fundamentally true that all healing comes from within oneself. Regardless of the care they receive within a medical or medicinal context, healing is an internal process that is always born from the outlook of the patient. Whether it comes from a pill, chemotherapy, an acupuncture needle, or some charlatan's snake oil, it is the person who is sick who is responsible for their own healing. This is why twins with identical pathologies will respond differently to the same treatment. Conventional healing, whatever form it may take, tends to relieve the patient of this responsibility, rendering them vulnerable to the practitioners suggestions.

People sometimes describe a dichotomy between conventional medicine (objective and scientific) and 'traditional' medicines (subjective and anecdotal). However, palpation of the abdomen allows an appreciation, in real time, of the effects the acupuncture treatment has, within the criteria of 'evidence-based medicine', which tries to apply a scientific methodology in an active clinical setting. Thus, the steps leading to clinical decisions of the acupuncturist who uses the abdominal reflexes are very similar to approaches used in conventional medicine, despite the differences in the treatments offered in two distinct practices.

Ever since the letter that all acupuncturists received during the period of the media frenzy surrounding H1N1, an acupuncturist cannot legally recommend to a patient not to get vaccinated, even following the 'diagnostic' decisions taken in light of the energetic state of the patient within the parameters of Chinese medicine. Under the law that prohibits a health care professional from challenging the actions or words of another health professional, one cannot discourage a patient from medical treatment. But does the acupuncturist have to lie when a patient asks her if her children have been vaccinated? As an acupuncturist, I will not oppose anything, but I will not lie to anyone either.